Buggy-top



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BLUME, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

BUGGY-TO P.-

SPECIFICATION formingpart o Letters Patent No. 374,925, dated December 2Q, 1887.

Application filed August 26,1887. Serial No. 247,894. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that LWILLIAM BLUME, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of,

Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buggy-Tops, of which the following lis a specification.A

My invention relates to that class of folding carriage-tops in which the front bow is omitted for convenience in passing into or out of the carriage when the top is raised, and in which the front section is adapted to fold to furnish a sun or storm hood when desired. Its object is to ,cheapen the construction of this class of tops, and provide one that is more easily operated and less liable to injury in use. Y

The invention consists in the peculiar construction and combination of the parts, all of which will bc first fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings, and then particularly referred to and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, in which like u parts are represented by similar referenoe-let-- ters Wherever they occur throughout the various views, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a buggyseat having my top-frame attached, the frame being shown in its raised position, the hood being also shown extended. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the hood dropped down. Fig. 3 is a similar View of the folded top. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the front bow of the hood. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view,drawn to full size, through one of its downwardly-projecting arms; and Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section of the same through line x x, drawn to half size. y

The two bows A and B are of ordinary construction, andare pivoted to the shifting-rail of the buggy-seat C in the usual manner. The top-props D extend diagonally from the rear prop-blocks of the shifting-rail to near the top of the front bow, A,being.pivoted at d to said bow in the usual manner, and provided with the customary rule-j oint at d. From the same pivot at d hinged brace arms E extend to the downwardlyextending arms of the hoodbow F, to which they are pivoted at f. The top or horizontal portion of the front hoodbow F is connected to the front bow A by flat metal straps G, which are hinged at g, to permit the bow to be folded down, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The ends of the bow F have dovetailed tenons to receive the rubber cushions H, which are sprung over them and secured by nai-ls, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. These cushions have concave depressions on their under sides corresponding to the form of a crossesection ofthe vertical arms of the bow A. The purpose of these cushions is to protect the arms of bow A from injury when the hood is folded down.

To prevent the bow F from getting out of shape, and to insure the cushions always coming true against the arms of bow A,I bind the bow either upon oneor both sides with a metal strip, F. The bows .A and B are connected on top by iieXible straps Lof which there may be any desired number. The back bow, B, is connected to the back of the seat by two thin, broad, metal spring-straps, J, onel upon each side.

It will be seen that the arch of the hood-bow F is precisely the same in shape as the front bow used in the common folding tops, the only difference being that the lower arms of the common bow, which reach to the front bolster of the shifting-rail,are in this case partially out away, and the portions of the loose ends remaining are provided with the rubber Y elishand neatly trimmed and keepsits shape better than in the forms in which the front bow curves in a horizontal instead of in a vertical plane when the top is raised.

l.. The combination, substantially as specied, of the pivoted bows A B and hinged braces D, the bow F, connected to the bow A by braces E andhinged straps G, to foldindependent of said bow A,and the rubber cushions H, `to protect the arms of bow A.

2. The combination, in afolding buggy-top, of the bows A B and bow F, having cut-away arms, the braces D, for supporting the bows A B, the hinged braces E and hinged straps G, for connecting the bows A and F and admitting of the hood turning down independent of the top, the flexible straps connecting the bows A ions H. By this means the top is more easily IOO and B, and the spring-metal straps connecting the bow B to the buggy-seat, substantially as and for the purpose sei: forth.

3. The combination, substantially as speci- 5 iied,of the buggy-top boWsAB, pivoted to the shifting-rail, the hood composed ofthe boWF, braces E, straps G, and elastic cushions H, the Said boW F having the nletalbinding-sbrip F',

and the cushions H having the lower concave ends to t over the front of the'boW-arms A, Io for the purpose .set forth.

TWILLI AM i BLUME.

Vitnesses:

C. W. WELLS, HERMAN OsTHAUs. 

